Fidel Castro dead at 90

Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, according to Cuban State TV.

As leader of his July 26 Movement, Castro played a key role in the overthrowing of Fulgencio Batista during the Cuban revolution in 1959. Following the Communist revolution, Castro ruled first as prime minister from 1959-1976 and as president from 1976-2008. He relinquished his presidency to his brother, Raul Castro, in 2006 as he recovered from surgery and then permanently in 2008.

Castro’s communist ideology have made for tense relations between Cuba and the Western world, particularly throughout the Cold War, with Cuba largely closed to Americans. Canadians have had no such restrictions on travel to the communist nation.